Columns

Canton Herald, December 8, 1949

Plans and specifications are being rushed to a finish for the Canton school construction program which will be initiated soon after the first of the year.  Separate bids will be accepted on the general construction, the plumbing and heating and the electrical work.

I just wanted to take time and talk to you about our Waste Water Treatment facility, also known as our ''sewer plant". Our sewer plant is over thirty years old and gets inspected by Texas Commission on Environmental Quality on a regular basis. The water that flows from the plant to Mill Creek is checked and meets or exceeds State regulated standards. This facility uses a "natural" process to treat the City's waste water, which means it is chemical free. 

The City Council has allowed us to do some much needed improvements at the plant and the crew has taken a much stronger role in plant maintenance and in house repair. These two things combined have saved the City a considerable amount of money.

Volunteers are a mainstay of non-profit services.   At 10 a.m. Dec. 14, The Friends of the Van Zandt County Library will recognize the invaluable people who assist the staff in their duties.   Brunch will be served, and accolades will be plentiful.   Those who have helped in the past are urged to attend and share experiences.

The December schedule at the library is available at the checkout desk or on Facebook. 

Inside and outside the library is looking a lot like Christmas.  On the cart as you enter there is a selection of stories with a Christmas theme.   In the 200-300 section of nonfiction, Franklin Graham, Max Lucado and others explore the history and meaning of Christmas. 

Please respond to the Christmas fundraiser to provide books for the children’s section of the library.   Anyone who is interested in this annual drive is invited to participate. 

Confession of an old columnist … “I relied on memory, and didn’t check the facts.”

On an average day, 40 people visit the public library in Van Zandt County to use the public access computers. An additional 50 people visit the library to check out books, movies and audio books as well as read magazines and newspapers. More than ever, public libraries are the centers of our communities. According to a 2013 report by the Pew Research Center, 94% of Americans say that having a public library improves the quality of life in a community. They also improve the quality of life for your family. Here are ten reasons why:

1. One-on-one help for parents

Got a question about potty training? Sleeping through the night? College applications? Google will give you a million answers, but the public librarian gives you the perfect book, resource, or peer. If we don’t have it, ask if we can get it for you!

Today is the official start of the Holiday Season. The daily routine is the same as it has been since June 12, 2006. Up at 4 a.m., bathroom essentials, protein powered milkshake, check headlines and mail, into my running gear, and off to the park. WOOO! Not so fast Buster. It is Turkey Trot day and the official start of the Holiday season. A slight change in the schedule is required. Thanksgiving will start officially at 7 a.m.

The runners, walkers, baby buggy pushers, dog walkers and the gawkers and viewers will start arriving at First Monday grounds as the sun rises in the east. Hugs, smiles and giggles are the order of the day. It is the start of the Canton Turkey Trot.

Canton Herald, Dec. 1, 1949

Funeral services were held Monday morning, Nov. 28, at 11 o’clock in Gatesvile for William Robert Haley.  Mr. Haley was making his home with his daughter, Mrs. Tommie Jackson of Canton, at the time of his death. He passed away at the age of 80 years four months and 10 days on Nov. 26, 1869, in Coryell County. Mr. Haley was married to Zenovia Morgan and at an early age he became a member of the Methodist Church.

Police aim to save lives with ‘Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over’

If you’re enjoying the holidays with a drink, here’s a message for you: Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.

 Due to the increase in drunk-driving related fatalities around the holidays each year, law enforcement agencies across Texas will be actively searching for and arresting drunk drivers from Dec. 16 to Jan. 1. They have good reason to: In 2014, 1,041 people were killed in Texas in crashes involving a drunk driver.

In December 2014 alone, there were 82 people killed on Texas roadways in crashes involving at least one driver or motorcycle operator with a blood alcohol concentration of .08 or higher. Ten of those deaths occurred on Christmas Eve.

There is a hand so mighty

Yet the world cannot see

It was pierced and bled on Calvary’s cross

Buying freedom for you and me.

That freedom was not temporary

Eternity will not see it end

The hand that bled that fateful day

Belonged to the world’s best Friend.

That hand lifted robbed sin of power

And holds the world in place

Provides food for the tiniest sparrow

And even feeds the human race.

That hand extended speaks many things

The foolish man says it isn’t real

But the nail print in the middle

Is proof of Father God’s holy seal.

So trust that hand for all your needs

And never doubt its power

It will keep you safe, not for a day

But until your final hour.

Aside from first aid, the most important demand your body has is to keep your core body temperature at 98.6°F. Since winter is coming on, maybe it’s a good time to talk about keeping warm.

As I sit here writing this story, I’m wearing long undies, a warm leather jacket, and a wool cap. I’ve got a portable electric heater by my feet that clicks on every once in a while. Outside, it’s 51°F., rainy, and 100% humid. Indoors, it’s 64°F. I could turn up the heat, but I decided to heat me instead of the house.

In Cool School in Alaska, I learned the human body puts priority on keeping its core temperature up. It’s not that your body doesn’t care if you get frostbitten earlobes, fingers, and toes. They just aren’t priority items when it’s frigid outside; you can live without them. One reason I can still count to ten with both hands is that I learned to keep warm.

“It’s The Lightcrust Doughboys from Bewley’s Mills”…  If you remember that radio introduction, you are surely a long-time Texan.

 The Van Zandt County Library has a book about them, and their times in The Texas Collection.                         “Paddling the wild Neches,” tells the story of the Neches River, and points to some things we Texans need to do to preserve it.  This is also in the Texas Collection, as is “One Ranger, A Memoir” and the

“History of the Humble Oil and Refining Company.”

There is fun stuff and serious stuff in this collection. Take advantage of it whether you are a native or transplanted Texan.  The Dewey Decimal Number in the catalogue has a “T” in front of it to indicate where Texana is located.